Inside:
- Wall Street Journal slams ‘assault on home-schoolers’
- Illinois’ ‘Rainy Day Fund’ running dry
- Busy week ahead
- More news
Wall Street Journal slams ‘assault on home-schoolers’
The Illinois homeschool bill recently got some national attention when the Wall Street Journal blasted it on its editorial page.
The bill, House Bill 2827, was passed by the House Education Policy committee over the objections of tens of thousands of Illinois families who have chosen home or private school for their children. It requires non-public elementary and secondary schools to register every year with the State Board of Education and requires homeschools to fill out a declaration form or risk truancy, which could lead to fines or even prison. It also requires homeschool administrators to submit personal information about themselves and their students to state and local authorities. I voted No.
The Journal wrote, “Fewer than one in three students in Chicago Public Schools can read at grade level. That should be a five-alarm fire for the Democrats who run Illinois, but they have other priorities – to wit, regulating those dastardly parents who educate their children at home.”
“The good news is that the home-school putsch has aroused the public,” the editorial continued. “Ahead of Wednesday’s vote, nearly 50,000 voters had filed witness slips against the Homeschool Act, compared with fewer than 1,000 in favor. Perhaps Democrats will listen to the public for a change.”
Illinois’ ‘Rainy Day Fund’ running dry
The state of Illinois maintains a savings account, informally known as the ‘Rainy Day Fund,’ to cover expenses that might occur as the result of an emergency or a sudden economic shock. Now that fund is getting close to empty.
Currently the state has about two weeks’ worth of reserves in the Rainy Day Fund, ranking us last in the nation in our ability to deal with a major financial crisis. That’s according to a study from the Pew Research Foundation. The study found that Illinois has less funds to pay its bills than any of the other states. Raising taxes and enacting a record-setting state spending bill will not make things any better.
Right now, the state has $2.2 billion in the Rainy Day Fund. It is recommended that states carry more than $9 billion so that they can cover expenses for at least 60 days. Raising taxes, increasing spending, and pursuing policies which drive job creators out of the state will only make things worse.
Most financial advisors suggest that individuals should have enough in their personal emergency funds to pay their bills for three to six months in the event of some kind of emergency.
Busy week ahead
The General Assembly has a series of deadlines throughout the spring session which are meant to keep the process moving along, finishing up with the adjournment deadline on May 31.
Bills must be introduced by a certain date in February, they must pass out of committee by a date in March, and they must pass the full House by April 11. If they do not, they are likely dead for the year, though there are sometimes exceptions made. Deadline weeks tend to be very busy times in the House, as lots of bills have to be processed in not much time.
This year is no different. With next Friday’s deadline to get bills out of the House and over to the Senate, we expect a lot of activity on the House floor. There are over 600 House bills still pending, and five days to consider them, starting when the House re-convenes on Monday afternoon. I have five bills still moving, and many of my colleagues have at least one or more.
It will be a busy week at the Capitol. You can follow along live by clicking here while the House is in session. You can find House schedules here.
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